Various devices are known for cleaning and stimulating the teeth and gum to maintain good dental hygiene, such as toothbrushes, gum simulators, floss, toothpicks and interdental brushes.
The present invention comprises a device for cleaning and stimulating the teeth and gum, which combines advantages of interdental brushes and toothpicks, and which includes a non-spill container for holding a liquid for protecting the device from contamination and mechanical damages, and for disinfecting the device after usage, and delivering medication to the gum and teeth with each usage.
Existing toothpicks come in a variety of sizes and shapes, examples of which are found in the following U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,649 dated Mar. 25, 1986. The main disadvantage of this and similar devices is that they all serve for cleaning purposes only: to remove remaining particles of food between the teeth, but can not remove the bacteria at the gum as interdental brushes do. Another disadvantage of the toothpicks is that they are not reusable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,433, dated Aug. 9, 1977. This device is a reusable toothpick with an end cap and elongated container which holds the mouthwash. The toothpick is inserted into the container and sealed by the end cap. A disadvantage of this device is that the mouthwash can be easily spilled out if the container drops without the end cap thereon, and the mouthwash liquid can be spilled during transportation if the end cap is disengaged from the container for any reason.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,456, dated Sep. 3, 1996, describes a mascara brush. In general, all interdental brushes have the same construction as mascara brushes and are manufactured on the similar equipment. The difference is only in size of the wire, size of the filament and shape of the filament trimming. All presently known interdental brushes have wire structure therein. Disadvantages of the interdental brushes are the following: metal wire is not safe for gum and enamel, because users can get galvanize electrical shock from the wire during usage, and for that reason wire is coated with nylon or other coating to prevent the electrical shock. Equipment for manufacturing of the interdental brushes is expensive and requires high maintenance. Another problem with manufacturing of wire brushes is that coating can be displaced from the wire during twisting operation in the fabrication thereof. Interdental brushes with large diameter wire can not be used safely by the patients with small gaps between the teeth, since wire can destroy the enamel during use. For this reason interdental brushes are made of small wire diameter in order to fit into the tight space between the teeth. But interdental brushes of small wire diameter can be easily bent during usage, and this bending produces a great deal of difficulty for using the brushes.
Another problem with the use of the twisted interdental brushes is that filaments can become loose and fall out during use. Another problem with usage of the interdental brushes is that they should be carefully washed after each application to eliminate possibilities for bacteria grow on the brushes.
Pat. #D293858, dated Jan. 26, 1988 discloses a combined interdental brush and cap. Disadvantages of this construction are similar to those described above for all interdental brushes. The cap in this device serves for brush protection from mechanical damage during transportation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,122, dated Mar. 7, 1989 describes a cosmetic applicator and wiper therefor. The cosmetic container has four pieces in its construction, and can retain therein the viscous or semi-liquid material only when container is closed by the cap. A disadvantage of this device is that the container with a cap of this form can not reliably retain the low viscous liquid from leaking through. This patent also describes the cosmetic applicator with integrally molded bristles. The technology of integrally molded bristles is very well known, and as described in this patent, the bristles in the cosmetic applicator serve for retaining the cosmetic material.